Seaming machine



March 3, 1936. HOPKINS 2,032,481

SEAMING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Arrh r GHopkms March 3, 1936. A. e. HOPKINS SEAMING MACHINE Filediduly 25, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Adhur (3| Hopkins ATTORNEYS March 3, 1936.

A. G. HOPKINS SEAMING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I AHhurGHopkins BY I March 3, 1936'. A. e. HOPKINS 2,032,431

SEAMING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ArH'Iur' G. Hopkins 9M ATTORNEYS Pifitnted Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED? STATES SEAMING MACHINE Arthur G. Hopkins, Maspeth, N. Y., assignor to National Can Company, a corporation of Dela.-

ware

Application July 25, 193.3, Serial No. 682,070

30 Claims.

This invention relates to seaming machines for metal cans, and more particularly to delivery apparatus for a high-speed can seaming machine.

, The primary and general object of the present invention resides in the provision of can seaming apparatus adapted to operate at a speed substantially faster than that ordinarily possible, particularly when operating on cans filled with liquid or partially liquid substances. The prior practice has been to progressively accelerate the cans in communicating turrets until a transfer turret is reached, which transfer turret runs synchronously with the seaming turret and feeds the can to the seaming turret, a can end being placed on the 15 can as it is transferred into the seaming turret.

With this arrangement the can is open throughout its progressive acceleration and. even while revolving at its maximum speed in the transfer turret; and accordingly the can speed has neces- 20 sarily been limited by the tendency of liquid contents in the can to spill or slosh over the edge of the can. In accordance with the present invention the cans are pre-capped, the cover or end being applied to the can before they come to a 25 common center, that is, just before the can is taken by the transfer turret and before it is accelerated to its maximum speed. The can then being covered, it is possible to run the same in the transfer and seaming turrets at a speed substan- 30 tially higher than heretofore possible. Incidentally, the speed of the can in the turret preceding the transfer turret which I shall refer to as an entrance turret, may be lower than the final speed heretofore employed, so that the possibility of spillage and soiling of the exterior of the cans is actually reduced despite the increased operating speed of the seaming apparatus.

In accordance with further features and objects of my invention, the separation and acceleration of the cans in the delivery system are accomplished in a smooth and progressive manner without abrupt or extreme changes in velocity or in direction. Still another object of my invention resides in the provision of an improved 5," can pocket for an accelerating turret or other turret adapted to. receive cans, characterized by the advantages of positively locating the can on the turret, of steadying the can to prevent vibration or shaking, and of fully open release of the can When leaving the turret. Still further objects of my invention center about tamping mechanism for forcing bulky substances within the can before closing and seaming the same. While the use of such tamping mechanism per se is not new, it has heretofore suffered. from the (Cl. 113-44) I defect of permitting the substance to again swell out of the can before the can finally reaches the seaming turret where the top or end is applied. In accordance with the present invention this defect is overcome and. the tamping of the material into the can is immediately followed by the application of the can end. A still further object of my invention resides in the provision of improved mechanism for receiving, handling, and applying the can ends to the cans, this mechanism preferably being associated with the transfer turret and being I automatically operated in response to rotation of the turret.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and. such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the seaming apparatus and the elements thereof and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the delivery system of the seaming apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the magazine for can ends, taken in the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section through the driving mechanism for the feed disc and separating turret;

Fig. 4 is a section through the entrance turret and shows the tamping mechanism associated therewith;

Fig. 5 is a partially sectioned plan view of the improved pockets employed in the entrance turret;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section through the transfer turret showing the finger controlling mechanism thereon;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken in the plane of the line 11 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of the gearing or drive mechanism interconnecting the various turrets; and

Fig. 9 is a developed vertical section through the gear train, it following the section line 9--8 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings and especially to Fig. 1, the seaming apparatus comprises a feed disc F, a separating turret S, an entrance turret E, a transfer and pre capping turret P the precapping mechanism of which is supplied with 50 can ends from an appropriate magazine M, and a seaming turret T which may be followed by conventional delivery mechanism here schematically indicated by a discharge turret D. The primary function of the feed disc F is to permit 55 the can track l2 leading thereto to approach the seaming apparatus from any desired direction. The function of separating turret S is to space or separate and at the same time commensurately accelerate the cans. Entrance turret E still further spaces and accelerates the cans and tamps the heaping contents within the confines of the can body. The transfer and precapping turret P applies a can end to a can leaving entrance turret E while the can is still mov ing at the moderate speed of the entrance turret and before the can is finally accelerated to the high speed of the transfer turret. In other words, the can is capped before the can pockets of turrets E and P come to a common center. The turret P fulfils the additional function of finally accelerating the can to its maximum velocity and transferring the same by synchronous movement to the seaming turret T.

The seaming turret is not shown and will not be described in detail herein, for it may be of conventional type, but it preferably is of the type disclosed and. claimed in my copending companion application Ser. No. 682,069, filed concurrently herewith. It may be briefly stated that the seaming turret in question is characterized by the use of planetary gear systems for providing the necessary drives throughout the turret, the rotation of the turret itself being obtained through planetary gearmechanism from a higher speed rotation of a vertical, concentric drive shaft l4.

Considering the mechanism in greater detail, the previously filled can bodies I6 reach the apparatus by movement along a track 12 which may be of conventional type and which is terminated by an arcuate extension I8 following the periphery of the feed disc F. The latter consists simply of a thin fiat disc which is rotated at high speed and which urges the cans frictionally toward the separating turret S. The cans tend naturally to move toward the outer guide I8 and may be additionally confined by an appropriate guide rail 26 which constitutes an inner guide at the feed disc F but which is extended continuously and acts as an outer guide at the separating turret S. The guide rail 26 is preferably mounted on spring mountings 22 permitting the rail to yield outwardly to prevent undue friction or binding action on the cams in the separating turret.

The separating turret S comprises a turret body 24 provided with a series of spaced can pockets 26, these pockets being so shaped as to provide a trailing surface which moves the can body positively along with the turret, and a leading or approach surface which prevents one can, for example, the can 28 in Fig. 1, from following the preceding can, can 36 in Fig. 1, until the deepest portion of the can pocket 26 is reached, this.

action serving to insure separation of the cans which, until this point, are in side by side relation. The bottoms of the cans rest upon a bottom disc 32 which is preferably rotated at a speed higher than that of the turret body 24, for this tends to frictionally urge the cans slightly out of the pockets 26 and thereby prevents the cans from being wedged or jammed between the pocket and the outer guide rail 26.

The manner in which this is accomplished is best described by reference to Fig. 3 in which the bottom disc 32 of the separating turret S is shown mounted upon a rigid flanged collar 34 which in turn is keyed to a drive sleeve 36 rotatable in a fixed bearing 38 forming a part of the machine frame. The turret body 24 is keyed to a vertical drive shaft" mounted concentrically within sleeve 36 but independently rotatable relative thereto. Sleeve 36 has mounted at its lower end and is driven by an appropriate gear 42, while shaft 46 carries at its lower end and is driven by an appropriate gear 44. The gear 44 is slightly larger than the gear 42 and is driven by a gear" (see Fig. 9) which is slightly smaller than the gear 46 driving the gear 42, and this gear difference establishes the desired increase in rotative speed of the disc 32 relative to the turret body 24.

While considering Fig. 3, the manner in which the feed disc F is driven may also be described. It will be observed that the feed disc F is mounted on a rigid flanged collar 56 which in turn is keyed to a vertical drive shaft 52 carried in appropriate bearings 54 formed at the outer end of a supporting casting 56 the inner end of which carries a bearing 58 surrounding the sleeve 36. The casting 56 is mounted on the machine frame through an appropriate base 66.- The support 56 journals a horizontal shaft 62 the inner end of which is geared to sleeve 36 through bevel gearing 64 and the outer end of which is geared to 5 nevertheless the feed disc may be considered as a high-speed disc which tends to frictionally urge the cans toward the separating turret, for it must be remembered that the cans resting on the feed disc are in side by side contact, whereas the cans in the separating turret are spaced well apart.

It should be understood that the feed disc and its supporting and driving mechanism may be considered as an accessory or auxiliary attachment to the apparatus, for in the event that the can track leading to the apparatus approaches the separating turret in preferred direction, it is possible to entirely omit the feed disc. On the other hand, when using the feed disc, the can may approach the apparatus from practically any desired direction.

Reverting now to Fig. 1, the cans as they move with the separatingturret come into engagement with the feeler 16 of a no-can no-cover mechanism. The feeler or wiper arm 16 is, of course, made of sufficient length to prevent inward movement as long as every can pocket of the separating turret is filled, but if the supply of cans is interrupted for any reason,- the space caused by a missing can permits the wiper 16 to move inwardly about pivot 12, thus causing the arm 14 to move clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1, and permitting movement of the rod 16 toward the right. The remainder of the no-can nocover mechanism is best shown in Fig. 2 in which it will be observed that the rod 16 is connected to the lower end of a lever 18 pivoted at 86 and weighted at 62 to tend constantly to move the wiper 16 inwardly against the series of cans in the separating turret. The upper end of lever 18 is connected to an arm 64 by a link 86, the arm 84 being oscillatable in a horizontal plane about a fixed pivot 88.

The magazine M carries a stack of can ends 96 the lowermost one of which is separated from the superposed stack and moved out of the magazine by a pusher finger 92 carried in. a plate 94 slidable in guides 96 forming a part of the machine frame. Plate 94 carries a depending pin 98 connected by means of a connecting rod I66 to the crank pin I62 of an appropriate crank disc I 04. Disc I04 is mounted on a shaft carried in a fixed bearing I06 forming a part of the machine frame, the projecting lower end of the shaft being geared through the bevel gearing I08 to a horizontal shaft lllljournaled at H2 and driven through bevel gearing I I3 by the transfer and pre-capping turret P. Inasmuch as there are three pockets on the turret P, the gear ratio between the turret and the crank disc I04 is 3 to 1, thus providing a reciprocation of the pusher finger 92 for each pocket on the turret.

When the supply of cans to the separating turret is interrupted, the arm 84 is moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 2, or clockwise as viewed in plan, bringing the camming end I I4 thereof into engagement with the frustro-conicalplate II6 which in turn is secured to a vertically reciprocable plunger N8 the upper end of which bears against the end of pusher finger 92, the pusher finger being pivoted at I20. The upward movement of plunger II8 thus causes a downward movement of the end of pusher finger 82, this downward movement being suflicient to cause it to ride beneath the lowermost cover in the magazine and interrupting the discharge of covers from the magazine. It will be understood that there are as many covers in the system between the inagazine and the can capping point (in the present case three) as there are cans between the feeler or wiper arm 10 and the can capping point, so that the supply of covers is interrupted at the proper moment and is resumed at the proper moment.

The cans are guided from the separating turret S into the entrance turret E by an appropriate stationary guide rail I22. The entrance turret is best shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings referring to which it will be seen that there is a turret' body I24 mounted on a vertical drive shaft I26, and in the present case the bottom plate I28 of the turret is also mounted directly upon the drive shaft I26. The can pockets on turret E are novel in being provided with a fixed trailing wall I30 and a movable leading wall I32, the wall I32 being movable between the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 5 and the position I32 shown in broken lines, or in other words, between positions serving to close or open the pocket of the turret. The movement of the leading wall I32 is controlled by appropriate cam and cam follower mechanism. Specifically, the wall I32 forms a part of an arm I34 pivoted on the turret body at I36 and carrying at its opposite extremity a cam follower roller I38 which rolls in the cam groove I40 of a fixed face cam I42. Face cam I42 is kept in concentric relation with the turret by reason of bearing I44 therebetween (Fig. 4) and. is supported and held against rotation by an appropriate bracket I46 mounted on the machine frame at I48. The cam design is such that the pocket is preferably open as it approaches the can to be received and is thereupon closed to steady the can as it is accelerated to the speed of the entrance turret. The can is accurately located by the closed pocket, and this is of value for the tamping operation next described and also for the capping or topping operation later described. As the can reaches the turret P, the pocket is again opened to permit free and unobstructed transfer of the can from the turret E to the turret P.

Referring particularly to Fig. 4 and also to Fig. 1, the drive shaft I26 of turret E carries arms I50 having at their outer ends bearings I52 carrying vertically reciprocable pusher rods I54. The lower ends of the rods I54 carry tamping plates I56 which are appropriately tapered and flanged to insure easy entrance in the open can bodies and to limit the maximum downward movement of the tamping plates. The upper ends of pusher rods I54 carry cam followers I58 which ride on a stationary cam track I60 as the turret revolves. The tamper is normally held in uppermost position by a compression spring I62 housed within the hollow pusher rod I54 and hearing at its lower end against a fixed stop I63 anchored in bearing I52 and passing into the interior of the hollow pusher rod I54 through a vertical slot I64. The cam track I60 is mounted on a stationary plate I66 anchored to the machine frame by an appropriate support I68 which also acts as a bearing for the upper end of the drive shaft I26. More specifically, the plate I66 is cut away to receive the cam track, and the resulting slot in the plate is surmounted by an arcuate rail I10 mounted on the plate I66 at the ends I12. is pivotally mounted on rail I10 at I14, the opposite or free end of the cam track being urged downwardly by a compression spring I16. Its downward movement is limited, however, by a pin I18 the lower end of which is anchored in the cam track, and the upper end of which is provided with motion-limiting nuts I80. With this construction, it will be understood that the stroke of the tampers may be adjusted as desired by rotation of the stop nuts I80, and that in any case the 1;;

cam track is resiliently yieldable and can be moved upwardly should the tamper strike undue resistance.

It will be understood and will be obvious from inspection of Fig. 1, that the tamping operation The transfer and 'pre-capping turret P is best described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 6, and '1 of the drawings. The turret comprises a turret body I82 provided with spaced pockets I84 and mounted on a flanged hub I86 (Fig. 6) which in turn is keyed to a drive'sleeve I86, the drive sleeve being journaled in upper and lower bearings I90 and I02. The turret body I82 carries pairs of gripper fingers I94, these fingers being locate-'1 directly over the can pockets I84. The fingers are pivoted for oscillation toward one another on vertical pins I96, these pins being carried by a cam follower lever I98 pivoted for vertical oscillation about a horizontal bearing pin 200, the bearing pin 200 being mounted on bearing pedestals projecting upwardly from a base plate 202 mounted on the turret body I82.

The innermost ends 204 of the fingers I94 are urged apart by a compression spring 206 (see Fig. '1), thereby tending normally to spring the fingers I94 into closed condition. The ends 204 are also provided with cam followers 208 cooperating with a wedge-shaped cam 2I0 formed on the end of a plate 2I2 slidable in a radial guide groove 2I4 formed on the upper surface of the turret body I82. cam follower roller 2I6 which rides in the face cam groove 2 I 8 of a stationary cam 220, as is best shown in Fig. 6. The cam follower arm I98 is also provided with a cam follower roller 222 which rides in a cam groove 224 formed on the outer periphery of cam 220. The cam 220 is keyed to a stationary shaft 224 which paasses downwardly through the hollow drive sleeve I88 of the turret and which is fixedly anchored at the bottom bear- I92 of the machine.

Cam track I60 The slidable plate 2I2 carries a Cir It will thus be evident that as the turret P revolves, the fingers I94 and the associated cam followers H6 and 222 are carried about the fixed cam 220, and that appropriate shaping of the cam grooves on fixed cam 220 causes opening or closing of the fingers 194 and raising or lowering of the fingers. The inner walls of fingers I94 are preferably grooved to receive the edges of the can cover, and the fingers may be provided with stops 226 (see Fig. 7) to locate the can cover when it is pushed into the fingers by the feed mechanism associated with the magazine M.

Reverting now to Fig. 1, the can ends are successively moved from the bottom of the magazine by the mechanism described in connection with Fig. 2, the end being moved from the magazine to an intermediate station 230 in the first feed movement, and then being moved from the station 230 by finger 23I to the turret P in a second feed movement. The intermediate station 230 is a stamping station at which the can covers are stamped with an appropriate number or other desired designation. The stamping is accomplishing by a Stamping arm 232 pivoted at 234 and actuated by an operating arm 236 pivoted at 238 and carrying a cam follower 240 cooperating with an appropriate cam on the seaming turret T. The can cover is fed between fingers I 94 which are released and close upon the can cover and carry the same with the turret. The fingers and can end are elevated until the pocket nears the next can to be received. The can leaving entrance turret E is moving at a slower rate of speed than turret P, and just prior to the theoretical point of tangency the fingersare depressed and force the can end on the open can. The can is then accelerated to the speed of turret P, but spillage is prevented because the can is already topped. The turret P is not provided with a bottom plate, because the can may meanwhile rest upon the bottom plate of turret E.

However, as the can leaves turret E, a stationary bottom plate 242 is provided which continues up to the seaming turret T. During all this time the cover is, of course, held down upon the can. The fingers l94-release their grip upon the can cover when the can and cover have been taken up by the seaming turret, and thereafter the cover is clamped against the can by the conventional upward movement of the can table, moving the can and cover against the seaming turret.

It is important to note that the can is capped not merely during rotation of turret P and after the can has been fully accelerated, but rather is capped before the can is accelerated to the speed of turret P. Theoretically it might be considered that the capping could not be performed in advance as here stated, but in practice I find that the timing of the parts of the machine may be overlapped so as to permit closure of the can before it is fully accelerated and without spilling its contents. This desired result is aided largely by the angular formation of the flange at the end of the can body and the like angular formation of the can cover, for this provides time to permit capping of the can before the turrets reach a common center. In prior practice the brines, fruit juices, or other liquid content has been filled at most to within one-quarter of an inch of the top of the can. With the present machine the can may be entirely filled and when later opened and transferred to another can, it is found that the complete contents have been retained and that no spillage has taken place.

It will be understood with reference to Fig. 1.

that the covered can is transferred to the seaming turret T which'may be of conventional type or which is more preferably-of the type disclosed in my copending' companion application aforementioned, and that after being seamed, the can is ejected and delivered from the seaming turret by any apropriate form of delivery turret D.

The drive mechanism interconnecting the various parts heretofore described isbest shown in Figs. 8 and 9 referring to which it will be understood that the main drive shaft I4 is concentric with the turret but rotates at a speed faster than the turret. It is geared through appropriate gears 250, 25! 252, and 254 to the drive sleeve I88 of the pre-capping or transfer turret P. In general, it may be remarked that the seaming turret T and transfer turret P preferably rotate synchronously and at substantially equal linear velocities, so that when dealing with a form of seaming turret in which it might prove L desirable to gear the turret T directly to transfer turret P, they might, of course, be interconnected by using a single large gear on the turret T meshing directly with the single large gear on the turret P. The present case, however, is a reason that an apparent gear reduction is provided between the shaft I 4 and the drive sleeve I88. Drive sleeve I88 further carries a gear 256 meshing with a gear 258 mounted on the shaft I26 of the entrance turret E. Shaft I26 further carries the gears 43 and 45 which mesh respectively with the gears 42 and 44 of the separating turret S, thus providing the difierence in rotative speed of the bottom disc and the turret body in the separating turret, as has heretofore been described. It will also be noted that the arm 56 with the feed disc shaft 52 is oscillatable about the axis of the separating turret, thereby increasing the adaptability of the machine as regards the direction of approach of the can supply track.

The operation of the machine may be briefly reviewed as follows, referring particularly to Fig. 1. The cans l6 are fed along a can track l2 and reach a frictional feed disc F which whirls the cans into engagement with the separating turret S where the cans are spaced apart and accelerated, the cans being received in the pockets of the turret body. Wedging or excessive friction is obviated by rotating the bottom disc of the turret at a speed slightly greater than J that of the turret body. The cans are then transferred to the entrance turret E where they are further accelerated, the cans being received and moved positively and steadily and being definitely located by the use of enclosed pockets the leading half of which is movable to release the can as it leaves the turret. While in the entrance turret, the tamping mechanism pushes a bulky substance such as spinach, beans, beets, or apples, down into the can, and, before the vegetable has an opportunity to again swell out of the can, the can end is applied thereto. Of course, if the substance being canned needs no tamping, the cam track of the tamping mechanism is simply removed or elevated to the point of inoperativeness. The transfer and pre-capping turret P has delivered thereto can ends from magazine M, these can ends being stamped during their progress to the turret P by the stamping mechanism 230. The can ends are 75 ficulty be to a velocity double that of the entrance seized by the gripper fingers and are revolved with the turret in elevated position until they come over a can leaving the entrance turret E, when the cover is moved downwardly upon the can. The cover is applied ahead of the point of tangency and before the can is actually moved and accelerated to the speed of the transfer turret I P, thereby preventing sloshing of liquid even though the turret P revolves at high speed. The covered can is revolved by the can pockets on turret P and is thereby accelerated to the speed of the seaming turret T to which it is next transferred and in which the cover is seamed to the can body. The seamed can is then ejected from the turret by the delivery mechanism. In the event of interruption of the supply of cans, the feeler or wiper finger 10 moves inwardly under the influence of weight 82, thereby oscillating the camming finger H4 to elevate the frustro-conical plate I I6 which in turn lowers the pusher finger 92 and makes the same ineffective.

It is believed that the mode of constructin and operating the can seaming apparatus of my invention, as well as the many advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing description. The machine makes it possible to operate at faster can speeds than have heretofore been possible, without causing sloshing or spillage of liquid, and permits the cans to be substantially filled with liquid instead of left partially empty. I

The cans are accelerated smooothly and progressively without undue or abrupt changes in velocity or direction, and are capped with can ends before they have been accelerated to their final velocity. The apparatus includes tamping mechanism for tamping the can contents, and this operation is accomplished just prior to the capping operation, thereby affording no time for the bulky substance to again swell out of the can. During acceleration of the can in the entrance turret before a cover is applied, the can is held steadily and is positively located for cooperation of the tamping mechanism and capping mechanism by closed but mechanically openable can pockets. I may point out that while I have called th turret P a transfer turret, and use this term in many of the claims, the turret P may be considered primarily as a pre-capping turret rather than as a transfer turret. The distance between the entrance turret E and the seaming turret T is quite small, and these turrets are directly interconnected by an appropriate guide track 300 for the can. It therefore follows that the can need only be propelled and accelerated along the stationary track from the entrance turret E to the seaming turret T. This necessary propelling and acceleration may be accomplished primarily through the cap itself by the capping mechanism. The turret P has no bottom or can carrying portion, and even the body portion is not essential to move the can body.

It will also be understood that the apparatus shown may be used to apply the first end to an open-ended can body, the other end being left open. In such case the tamping mechanism is, of course, omitted or made inoperative, and another function of the closed pockets on entrance turret E is to accurately locate and steady the can at the instant of application of the can end thereto. Such a light and empty can is, of course, particularly readily propelled and accelerated by the capping mechanism along the guide track from the entrance turret to the seaming turret. This acceleration may without difturret.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim:

l. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret for seaming a cap to a can body, said seaming turret being preceded by a plurality of communicating turrets rotating at progressively increasing speeds in order to accelerate the can body being supplied to the seaming turret up to tne speed of the seaming turret, and means for preliminarily applying and holding a cap on the can body prior to acceleration thereof to the final maximum velocity.

2. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret preceded by a plurality of communicating turrets rotating at progressively increasing speeds in order to separate and accelerate the cans up to the speed of the seaming turret, the last of said turrets substantially equalling the seaming turret in speed, and means associated with said last turret for applying and holding caps tightly on the cans.

3. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret preceded by a plurality of communicating turrets rotating at progressively increasing speeds in order to separate and accelerate the cans up to the speed of the seaming turret, the last of said turrets rotating synchronously with the seaming turret and at substantially equal speed, and means associated with said last turret for pre-capping the cans just prior to acceleration thereof to the final or maximum speed.

4. Can seaming apparatus for seaming ends on filled can bodies, comprising a turret for accelerating the cans, a transfer and pre-capping turret for still further accelerating the cans to their final velocity, and a seaming turret rotating synchronously with the transfer turret and receiving pre-capped cans therefrom, a magazine for can ends associated with said transfer turret, and pre-capping mechanism on said transfer turret for applying the ends onto the cans as the cans are received by the transfer turret.

5. Can seaming apparatus for seaming ends on filled can bodies, comprising a turret for accelerating the cans, a transfer and pre-capping turret for still further accelerating the 'cans to their final velocity, and a seaming turret rotating synchronously with the transfer turret and receiving pre-capped cans therefrom, a magazine for can ends associated with said transfer turret, and pre-capping mechanism on said transfer turret for taking ends fed thereto from the magazine and applying the same to the cans as the cans are received by the transfer turret, the timing of said turrets and pre-capping mechanism being so adjusted that the can ends are applied to the filled cans before the cans are accelerated to their final velocity,

6. Can seaming apparatus for seaming ends on filled can bodies, comprising a feed disc, a separating turret for separating and accelerating the cans, an entrance turret for further accelerating the cans, a transfer and pre-capping turret for still further accelerating the cans to their final velocity, and a seaming turret rotating synchronously with the transfer turret and receiving precapped cans therefrom, a magazine for can ends associated with said transfer turret, and precapping mechanism on said transfer turret for taking ends fed thereto from the magazine and applying the same onto the cans received by the transfer turret from the entrance turret.

'7. Can seaming apparatus for seaming ends on filled can bodies, comprising a feed disc, a separating turret for separating and accelerating the cans, an entrance turret for further accelerating the cans, a transfer and pre-capping turret for still further accelerating the cans to their final velocity, and a seaming turret rotating synchronously with the transfer turret and receiving pre-capped cans therefrom, a magazine for can ends associated with said transfer turret, and pre-capping mechanism on said transfer turret for applying the ends to the cans received by the transfer turret from the entrance turret, the timing of said turrets and pre-capping mechanism being so adjusted that the can ends are applied onto the filled cans before the cans are accelerated to their final velocity.

8. Can seaming apparatus for closing cans filled with bulky substance, comprising an entrance turret, a seaming turret and a transfer or pre-capping turret preceding said seaming turret, means associated with said pre-capping turret for capping the can bodies as the same are moved from the entrance turret to the transfer turret, and tamper mechanism on said entrance turret for tamping the can contents into the can body prior to the application of a can end by the transfer turret.

9. Can seaming apparatus for closing cans fllledwith bulky substance, comprising an entrance turret, a seaming turret and a transfer or pre-capping turret rotating synchronously with the seaming turret, means associated with said pre-capping turret for capping the can bodies as the same are moved from the entrance turret to the transfer turret, and tamper mechanism on said entrance turret for tamping the can contents into the can body just prior to the application of a can end to the can body, said tamper mechanism including a vertically reciprocable tamper above each of the can pockets on the entrance turret and a stationary arcuate cam track for forcing the tamper downwardly.

10. Can seaming apparatus for closing cans filled with bulky substance, comprising a seaming turret and a series of turrets for accelerating and feeding can bodies to said seaming turret,

said series including a separating turret, an entrance turret, and a transfer or pre-capping turret rotating synchronously with the seaming turret, means associated with said pre-capping turret for capping the can bodies as the same are moved from the entrance turret to the transfer turret, and tamper mechanism on said entrance turret for tamping the can contents into the can body just prior to the application of a can end to the can body, said tamper mechanism including a vertically reciprocable tamper above each of the can pockets on the entrance turret and a cam track for forcing the tamper downwardly, the elevation of said cam track being adjustable and said track being resiliently yieldable upwardly.

11. A transfer and pre-capping turret for can seaming apparatus including a turret rotatable on a vertical axis and provided with can pockets,

a pair of fingers mounted on said turret above fingers for closing and opening said fingers and for lowering and raising said fingers relative to the turret as the turret rotates.

12. A transfer and pre-capping turret for can seaming apparatus including a turret rotatable on a vertical axis and provided with can pockets, a pair of fingers mounted on said turret above each of said pockets, said fingers being oppositely reciprocable in a horizontal plane and simultaneously reciprocable in a vertical direction, a pair of stationary cams mounted concentrically with the turret, and cam followers associated with said fingers and running about the stationary cams for closing and opening said fingers and for lowering and raising said fingers relative to the turret, a magazine for can ends adjacent said turret, and means to feed the can ends from the magazine to the fingers on the turret.

13. A transfer and pre-capping turret for can seaming apparatus including a turret rotatable on a vertical axis and provided with can pockets, a pair of fingers located above each of said pockets, said fingers being pivoted on the turret for opposite movement about vertical axes and for simultaneous movement about a horizontal axis, a pair of cams mounted concentrically with the turret, and cam followers associated with said fingers and engaging the cams for closing and opening said fingers and for lowering and raising said fingers, a magazine for can ends, and means to feed the can ends from the magazine to the fingers, the timing of the finger operating cams being such that the fingers are closed to hold the can end and are forced downwardly with the can end just as the pocket approaches a can body next to be received.

14. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret preceded by a plurality of oommunicating turrets rotating at progressively increasing speeds in order to separate and accelerate cans up to the speed of the seaming turret, the last of said turrets acting as a transfer and precapping turret and rotating synchronously with the seaming turret, said transfer turret being provided with can pockets, a pair of fingers located above each of said pockets for handling a can end, said fingers being movable toward and from one another and up and down, and operating mechanism associated with said fingers for closing and opening said fingers and for lowering and raising said fingers as the turret rotates, the timing being such that a can end is forced down by the fingers Just as the transfer turret approaches a can next to be received and Just prior to acceleration thereof to the final or maximum speed.

15. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret preceded by a plurality of communicating turrets rotating at progressively increasing speeds in order to separate and accelerate cans up to the speed of the seaming turret, a can supply track leading to the apparatus, and a smooth, fiat and rotating feed disc devoid of can pockets placed between the can track and the first turret in order to guide cans from the track to the turret.

16. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret preceded by a plurality of commumcating turrets rotating at progressively increasing speeds in order to separate and accelerate cans up to the speed of the seaming turret, a can supply track leading to the apparatus, and a feed disc placed between the can track and the first turret in order to guide cans from the track to the turret, said feed disc being geared to the turret and rotated thereby, the feed disc being bodily movable about the axis of the turret so that the can track may approach the apparatus in a convenient direction.

17. In can seaming apparatus, a turret comprising a turret body provided with can pockets having no bottom, a bottom disc beneath said body and forming a bottom for the pockets, and independent means for rotating the turret body and the bottom disc, said means causing the disc to rotate at a higher rotative speed than the turret body.

18. In can seaming apparatus a feed disc, a separating turret, said separating turret comprising a pocketed turret body overlying and a bottom disc closely underlying the feed disc, a

vertical shaft for rotating the turret body, a tubular shaft concentrically surrounding the aforesaid shaft for independently rotating the bottom disc, means for rotating the bottom disc at a speed higher than that of the turret body. a vertical shaft for the feed disc, means gearing together the feed disc shaft and the tubular shaft, said means being so arranged as to afford bodily movement of the feed disc about the axis of the separating turret.

19. Can seaming apparatus for seaming ends on filled can bodies comprising, can feeding mechanism, a transfer and pre-capping turret receiving the cans fromsaid feeding mechanism and being operable for accelerating the cans substantially to their final velocity, means associated with said turret for tightly pre-capping the cans just prior to the acceleration of the same to such final velocity, and a seaming turret rotatable synchronously with the transfer turret and receiving the pre-capped cans therefrom.

20. Can seaming apparatus for seaming ends on filled can bodies comprising, can feeding mechanism, a transfer turret receiving the cans from said feeding mechanism and being operable for accelerating the cans substantially to their final velocity, pre-capping means on said turret for tightly pre-capping the cans as they are received from said feeding mechanism .and just prior to the acceleration of the same to such final velocity, and a seaming turret rotatable synchronously with the transfer turret and receiving the pre-capped cans therefrom.

21. Can seaming apparatus comprising a series of communicating turrets arranged in cascade,

adjacent turrets of the series being arranged to deliver cans tangentially from one turret to its adjacent turret, means for rotating said turrets to increase the linear speed of the cans from an initial speed to a final seaming speed, the last three turrets of the series comprising an entrance turret, a transfer turret and a seaming turret, said transfer turret having means to apply and hold caps on the cans therein.

22. Can seaming apparatus comprising a series of communicating turrets arranged in cascade, adjacent turrets of the series being arranged to deliver cans tangentially from one turret to its adjacent turret, means for rotating said turrets to increase the linear speed of the cans from an initial speed to a final seaming speed, the last three turrets of the series comprising an entrance turret, a transfer turret and a seaming turret, tamper mechanism on the entrance turret, can capping mechanism on the transfer turret and seaming mechanism on the seaming turret.

23. Can seaming apparatus comprising a series of communicating turrets arranged in cascade, all adjacent turrets of the series being arranged to deliver cans tangentially from one turret to its adjacent turret, means for rotating said tu'rrets to increase the linear speed of the cans from an initial speed to a final seaming speed, the last two turrets of the series comprising a transfer turret and a seaming turret, can capping mechanism on the transfer turret for applying and holding caps tightly on the can bodies therein, and seaming mechanism on the seaming turret.

24. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret for seaming a cap to a can body, said seaming turret being rotatable at a relatively high speed, an entrance turret rotatable at a lower speed, mechanism for transferring a can body from the entrance turret to the seaming turret and for accelerating the same during the transfer, and means for preliminarily applying and holding a cap on the can body prior to transfer and acceleration thereof.

25. Can seaming apparatus comprising a seaming turret rotatable at a relatively high speed, an entrance turret rotatable at a lower speed, means for feeding cans at progressively increasing speeds into the entrance turret, mechanism for transferring the cans from the entrance turret to the seaming turret and for accelerating the cans to the speed of the seaming turret dur-- ing the transfer, and means for tightly precapping the cans while in the entrance turret and prior to acceleration of the cans to the final seaming turret velocity.

26. In can seaming apparatus, a bottom support, a turret for handling a series of cylindrical can bodies in vertical position, said turret bein rotatable on a vertical axis and comprising vertical approximately semicylindrical can pockets above said bottom support, each of said semicylindrical pockets including a fixed trailing side and a leading side movable between positions opening or closing the can pocket to approximately semicylindrical shape, a fixed arcuate guide rail outside said turret for holding the can bodies in said pockets, and mechanism associated with said turret for automatically operating said movable side as the turret rotates.

27. In can seaming apparatus, a turret rotatable on a vertical axis and an accelerating turret for feeding a series of can bodies in vertical position to said first named turret, said accelerating turret being rotatable on a vertical axis and comprising vertical approximately semicylindrical can pockets, a fixed arcuate guide rail for holding can bodies in said pockets, each of said semicylindrical pockets including a fixed trailing side and a leading side movable between posi- 5 tions opening or closing the can pocket to approximately semicylindrical shape, and cam and cam follower mechanism associated with said turret for automatically closing the can pocket after receiving a can and opening the can pocket when the can is to be fed from the accelerating turret to the first named turret.

28. In can seaming apparatus, a stationary frame, a turret for handling a series of cylindrical can bodies in vertical position, said turret comprising can pockets arcuate on a vertical axis and open at their top, bottom and outer sides, the open outer side of the can pocket affording discharge of a can therefrom even when said can pocket is closed, a fiat bottom support surface for the can bodies, an arcuate outer guide rail for holding the can bodies in the pockets, each of said pockets including a fixed trailing side and a leading side movable between positions closing and opening the arcuate inner wall of the can pocket, a cam concentric with, borne upon,

but not rotatable with said turret, means on said frame to prevent rotation of said cam, and cam follower mechanism mounted on said turret and running about said fixed cam for automatically opening said pocket when a can is to be released from the turret.

29. In combination, a first turret, a seaming turret, and a transfer and pre-capping turret including a turret rotatable on a vertical axis and provided with can pockets for transferring filled cans from the first turret to the seaming turret, means mounted on said transfer turret above each of said pockets for handling a can end, operating mechanism associated with said means, a magazine for can ends adjacent said transfer turret, and a feed device to feed the can ends to said means, the timing of the operating mechanism being such that the means is forced downwardly with the can end relative to the transfer turret just as the transfer turret approaches a can next to be received, in order to place the end on the can at the beginning of the movement of the can in the transfer turret.

30. In combination, a first turret, a seaming turret, and a transfer and pre-capping turret including a turret rotatable on a vertical axis and provided with can pockets for transferring cans from the. first turret to the seaming turret, a pair of fingers mounted on the transfer turret located above each of said pockets, said fingers being movable toward and from one another and up and down, a magazine for can ends adjacent said transfer turret, a feed device to feed the can ends to said fingers, and operating mechanism associated with said fingers for closing and opening said fingers and for lowering and raising said fingers relative to the turret as the turret rotates, the timing of the operating, mechanism being such that the fingers seize a can end fed thereto by the feed device and force the can end downwardly just as the turret approaches a can next to be received.

ARTHUR G. HOPKINS. 

